Washington at the Delaware
Artist
Edward Hicks
(American, 1780-1849)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1849
MediumOil on canvas
DimensionsOverall, Frame: 34 x 41 1/2 in. (86.4 x 105.4 cm)
Overall: 28 x 35 1/2 in. (71.1 x 90.2 cm)
Overall: 28 x 35 1/2 in. (71.1 x 90.2 cm)
InscribedFormerly inscribed on the reverse: Painted by Edw. Hicks in his 70th Yr.
Credit LineGift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch
Object number77.1271
Collections
On View
On viewLabel TextEdward Hicks American, 1780–1849 The Declaration of Independence, 1776, ca. 1840 Oil on canvas Washington at the Delaware, ca. 1849 Oil on canvas Though self-taught artist Edward Hicks lived in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania, he encountered many of America’s greatest paintings through prints and books. These two copies pay homage to John Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence and Thomas Sully’s Passage of the Delaware, both celebrating famous moments from the American Revolution. Paintings by Hicks allowed modest households to display their patriotic spirit, and the artist also decorated carriages and tavern signs with these same subjects. In addition to painting, Hicks was a Quaker preacher, and many of his works depict Christian allegories and biblical scenes. Gifts of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch 76.53.1 and 77.1271 ProvenanceMrs. Sally Turner, New Jersey, 1961; Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1961; Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch to the Chrysler Museum, 1977. Exhibition History"Edward Hicks, a Gentle Spirit," Andrew Crispo Gallery, New York, N.Y. May 16 - July 26, 1975. "Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum," Chrysler Museum at Norfolk, Va., March 1 - July 4, 1976. "Celebrity Folk," The Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News, Va., May 30 - July 3, 1986. (Exhib. brochure no. 17, cover) "First in the Hearts of His Countrymen: America Remembers George Washington 1732-1799," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., November 23, 1999 - Summer 2001. "George Washington and the Battle of Trenton: The Evolution of an American Image," New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, N.J., October 25, 2001 - February 24, 2002. (Exh. cat. p. 40) "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Reopening of the Joan P. Brock Galleries," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., Opening in March of 2008. "Hoofbeats and Heartbeats: The Horse in American Art," Art Museum at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, August 22-November 21, 2010. Published ReferencesDennis R. Anderson, _Three Hundred Years of American Art in the Chrysler Museum_, exh. cat., Norfolk, Va., 1975, 44. Dennis R. Anderson, "American Collection Further Enhanced by Hicks Paintings," _Chrysler Museum Bulletin_ 5, no. 1 (January 1976). Eleanor H. Gustafson, "Museum Accessions," _The Magazine Antiques_ (June 1978): 1256-1258, 1260. _The Chrysler Museum: Selections from the Permanent Collection, Norfolk, Virginia_, (Norfolk: Chrysler Museum, 1982), 81. ISBN: 0-940744-37-6 Eleanore Price Mather and Dorothy Canning Miller, _Edward Hicks: His Peaceable Kingdoms and Other Paintings_ (Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1983), 162, no. 69. ISBN: 0874132088 Paul Quartararo, "The Cover," _JAMA_ (Journal of the American Medical Association) Vol. 255, no. 7 (February 21, 1986): cover illustration and article. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_ (Norfolk: The Chrysler Museum, 1991), 91, no. 68. ISBN: 0-940744-59-7, 0-940744-62-7 Carolyn J. Weekley, _The kingdoms of Edward Hicks_ (Williamsburg, Va.: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1999), I, 156, 216, no. 107. ISBN: 0879352051, 0810912341 Mark Edward Lender and Barbara J. Mitnick, _George Washington and the Battle of Trenton: The Evolution of an American Image_, exh. cat., Trenton, New Jersey, New Jersey State Museum, 2001, 40. ISBN: 0938766015 Martha N. Hagood and Jefferson C. Harrison, _American Art at the Chrysler Museum: Selected Paintings, Sculpture, and Drawings_ (Norfolk, Va.: Chrysler Museum of Art, 2005), 46, no. 21. ISBN: 0-940744-71-6 Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 60, fig. 61. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 _Hoofbeats and Heartbeats: The Horse in American Art_, exh.cat., Art Museum at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 2010, 16, fig. 8.
